BONN, Germany — Social Democratic Party leader Martin Schulz made an impassioned pitch to his party to back formal coalition talks with Angela Merkel’s center-right bloc, warning the alternative would mean a new election for which the party is ill prepared.

“The choice is coalition negotiations or new elections,” Schulz told a convention of 600 delegates who convened in the old West German capital on Sunday to decide the party’s course. “My position is clear: I don’t think new elections are the right path for us.”

Schulz, who had ruled out another grand coalition after the SPD recorded its worst-ever result in September’s election, sought to explain why he had changed his mind. He argued that Germany’s underprivileged, whether young or old, would be worse off without the SPD in government.

He also stressed that Europe urgently needed a functioning German government to push its reform agenda forward, echoing concerns across the Continent over the potential consequences of “No” vote.

“I’m asking for your trust,” Schulz told the delegates, adding that turning away from further coalition talks would be “reckless.”

The reception to Schulz’s roughly hour-long address was polite if unenthusiastic. Unlike some past party gatherings, there were no chants of “Martin.” He received no standing ovations and the applause at the end lasted only about one minute.

Schulz was followed by Annika Klose, a leader of the SPD’s youth wing, which has led the charge against another grand coalition.

“A ‘No’ wouldn’t lead to chaos, it would lead to democracy,” she shot back in a brief speech, as many in the crowd cheered.

Klose and other opponents of another grand coalition argue the blueprint Schulz negotiated with Merkel in exploratory talks earlier this month falls well short of what the party promised its voters. While the agreement includes a number of SPD initiatives in areas such as health care and education, Schulz failed to win support for more ambitious reforms.

Stefan M

Is Annika Klose trying to lose support for her position? Who wants democracy to break out across Europe after stifling it for so long.

Posted on 1/21/18 | 2:06 PM CET

gf

Even Macron is hiding from the truth. In a interview he stated, ‘On Brexit, the French president said France would “probably” have voted to leave the EU if it had held a referendum on EU membership but added he didn’t want to “take any bets” and would have “fought very hard to win.”.
It goes to show that the people are being ignored in the push for political dictatorship, where the people are dumbed down through liberal teachings and indoctrination, whilst the elites push for federalisation, which will have the bespoke power of Brussels falling to the strongest member countries.
screw the people, it is the will of the politicians that matter and any one, the majority, object, we can all them racist and the rest and the drones will believe, and with the media highlighting only the liberal view, then we can make a case that shuns the majority as they are seen as vile bigots and uneducated ignorant bast###s that do not care what we the political elites want for our bank accounts.

Posted on 1/21/18 | 2:20 PM CET

Priscilla du Bleu

@Srefan M:

Up early here in my neck of the american woods 🙂 and watching on ‘phoenix livestream’ the Parteitagsreden …. the SPD appears to be split in their stance. I still believe that a groko would be preferable to any other solution, for the sake of Germany’s leading role in the EU. Schultz remains pretty colourless. Scharping made some good points. The JuSos appear to be rather hysterical in their stance – and presentations.

Andrea Nahles …. speaking in this very minute …. hysterical as always but going in the right direction.

Posted on 1/21/18 | 2:52 PM CET

trisul

“A ‘No’ wouldn’t lead to chaos, it would lead to democracy,” she shot back in a brief speech, as many in the crowd cheered.

No, it would not. Chaos is an agenda where right-wing extremists win, not the socialist youth of SPD. The reason is very simple, the right-wingers are more aggressive.

A “no” is what Putin’s operatives are working on, and it is not because they think this will be good for democracy in Germany or Europe, it is for exactly the opposite reason.

Posted on 1/21/18 | 5:40 PM CET

trisul

Despite the insinuations of the media, Germans chose the reasonable and responsible approach. I’m sure it will pay off. German voters do not want chaos, they want improvements with continuing stability, not a revolution.

Posted on 1/21/18 | 5:42 PM CET

Priscilla du Bleu

@trisul
“Despite the insinuations of the media, Germans chose the reasonable and responsible approach. I’m sure it will pay off. German voters do not want chaos, they want improvements with continuing stability, not a revolution.”

Very well said, trisul!

Posted on 1/21/18 | 5:46 PM CET

Burgundian

No, Europe doesn’t “urgently need” functioning German government, we don’t need or want German leadership. We have bad experiences with it. It’s Germany that urgently needs functioning democratic government and this isn’t it.

Posted on 1/21/18 | 7:25 PM CET

Priscilla du Bleu

@Burgundian
“No, Europe doesn’t “urgently need” functioning German government, we don’t need or want German leadership. We have bad experiences with it. It’s Germany that urgently needs functioning democratic government and this isn’t it.”

Your opinion simply does not matter any more for the EU. You may utter it, but no one gives a flying f*** about it any more. You will no longer be member and part of the club.

By leaving you did Germany and France one big favour – you strengthened their positions as leaders and deprived yourself of any influence.

Posted on 1/21/18 | 10:02 PM CET

Milton38

They, SPD and CDU/CSU, cannot drive forward any reform in Germany; if one neglects their wish to make it into an Arabic Muslim state, so what is their intention for the EU?
Do they want this for the rest of the EU also?
No wonder Orban, Kascynski – no not the Una bomber – do not wish to follow the trend; neither do most voters in the EU.

Posted on 1/22/18 | 4:35 AM CET

Addy

The final deal has to go through the SPD voting system again. My take is whatewer happens, both Schultz and Merkel are finished and belong to the past (both parties are looking for new leaders to replace them) ….meanwhile AfD will be the largest opposition party in the Bundestag….interesting indeed